Why Do Native Americans And Settlers Break Down Over Time?

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Ross Clair Dr. Justin Pope History 1300 9/10/2017 Why did the relations between Native American and Settlers break down over time? In all of the encounters between the settlers and the native Americans, most of the relationships decayed over time, from peaceful trade into bloodshed. There are a few reasons that this occurred, and these are a lack of respect from the Europeans to the Native Americans, European greed, and the fact that the Native American ideals, customs, and mindset were completely different from the European viewpoints. It is a well-documented fact that the European Settlers did not think very highly of the Native Americans that they found already inhabiting the new continent that they had found by accident. They thought they …show more content…

The European thought so little of them that they would, in fact, take some of the Natives as “human souvenirs”. This was such a common practice that is has been remarked on in historical texts. Axtell, author of King Philip's Herds: Indians, Colonists, and the Problem of Livestock in Early New England, writes that “European explorers had an incurable itch for human souvenirs” (Axtell, 234-235). They were taken to be used as status symbols. They were also to be used for later use as guides and translators. This just showed that they thought so little of the natives that they were treated more as property, rather than people. They were also thought of as uncultured, in need to be …show more content…

This was the fact that so many of the Native American ideals, customs, and mindset were completely different from the European viewpoints. The first of the differences were due to the difference of opinion in how the lad should be treated, owned, and used for. The Native Americans thought the land was to be shared, and for all to use. The fact that many Native American Tribes were nomadic helped to enforce that particular belief. In contrast, the European Settlers thought the land was to be bought and sold and to be blocked off for the use of one. Another one of the disagreements in opinion was over livestock. The Native Americans saw no purpose to keep a wandering herd of livestock for a few reasons. One of these is that the land provided everything that the Native Americans ever needed. Another is that there would have been no place to keep a herd wandering around, with no permanent place of residence. The herd would have also been direct competition with the tribes, as they would eat the same food. A herd also would have kept the buffalo away from the

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